Since joining the New York Assocation of Collaborative Professionals (NYACP) in 2002, I represented 50 to 75 clients who were able to successfully settle their collaborative divorce cases during those dozen years. Then, during the past several months, I have not been retained on any new collaborative divorce cases. Yet I still regard my NYACP membership as priceless. Here’s why.
At its essence, the NYACP is an association of like-minded professionals. They share a powerful commitment that is three-fold: (1) to achieve excellence in their work as collaborative lawyers, divorce coaches, child specialists and financial specialists; (2) to obtain long-lasting interest-based divorce settlements; and (3) to promote collaborative so that people think collaborative first when considering a divorce. Sharing such a commitment with others over the years, building trust and having fun at the same time, makes the relationships between NYACP members priceless for three basic reasons.
First, these relationships help develop business by giving and receiving referrals. Such referrals may be to serve as a collaborative counterpart, a mediator, a review attorney, or even a divorce litigator.
Secondly, these special relationships provide opportunities for brainstorming. It could be to ask a question or get a second opinion about a particular case or issue, to bounce an idea off a trusted colleague, or to brainstorm ways to develop more business. Most NYACP members, like me, are solo practitioners who benefit greatly from this brainstorming, both professionally and emotionally. They know they are no longer “a lone wolf.”
Thirdly, these relationships give NYACP members a common goal in doing very meaningful life work: in their representation of clients, and in promoting and furthering the goals of the collaborative movement and the NYACP.
In addition to having such priceless relationships with collaborative colleagues, being an NYACP members in good standing attend numerous seminars each year that are continuously improving their collaborative skills, which are also priceless. These skills help NYACP members achieve successful settlements in all types of divorce cases, both in and out of Court.
© Arnold D. Cribari, 2015
